12 Feb 2016

Snares Deliver

WOW! What a great start to the adventure. As we approached the Snares at dawn the skies were filled with the beating wings of Sooty Shearwaters as they set out across the ocean for a days fishing. After breakfast we launched the Zodiacs and cruised along the shore line, into caves, along giant cliff faces and into small inlets watching the travel brochures turn to life and then explode into action making those brochures seem terribly boring. This was a sunny, light-wind day – extraordinary weather here in an even more extraordinary place. The Sea Lions frolicked all around the boats and Snares Crested Penguins were everywhere. Endemic Tomtits, nesting Buller’s Albatross, some mating, some with a chick were right in front of us with hundreds on the wing soaring the light updrafts. There was life and death going on around us, our heads turning this way and that. After 2.5 hours on the water, none of us could stop talking over lunch as we steamed on towards Enderby Island. The seas were friendly and many briefings filled the afternoon to prepare everyone for more adventures ahead.